Aladdin Knowledge Systems today announced plans to introduce a set of new cross-platform software distribution and license management tools for game developers to better manage their physical distribution. Called the Privilege Software Commerce Platform (SCP), it allows game developers to program each CD with trial versions that can be limited by use or by limiting the amount of time it's active.
Privilege works by validating that the software's activation number or product key hasn't been
used on more computers than allowed by the license agreement. Games can be passed along to friends as trialware, and when the "try" period ends, Privilege manages the "buy" and activation sequences. The product lets developers specify the amount of encryption they need, setting the security level as appropriate.
The release date and pricing were not announced.